khmaj خمج
Algerian Darja · noun
“khmaj” (خمج) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning dirt, grime.
Meanings
- dirt, grime
- rotten or poor-quality stuff
- (pejorative) contemptible people
Usage
Khmaj first refers to physical dirt: a house, a street or clothes that are "kamel khmaj". By extension, it contemptuously describes something worthless, a spoiled product or a sloppy piece of work. Applied to people, it becomes a fairly strong insult, along the lines of "scum". It is not vulgar in a sexual sense, but it is very derogatory. The corresponding adjective is khamej ("dirty, rotten"), with the plural khamjin. The verb khmej means "to rot, to spoil". The word is very common in speech. Best avoided when addressing someone, unless you mean to hurt.
Example
الدار راهي كامل خمج، لازم نشطبوها
ddar rahi kamel khmaj, lazem nchettbouha
“The house is completely filthy, we need to sweep it out.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khmaj” but also “5maj”, “khmej”, “khamj” and “5mej”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.